Dean Scotts 78 Malibu

Its been said that the Midwest gets three months of good weather each year. That means three months of car-cruising weather.

You might think that spells bad news for gearheads. Well, its not all bad. For one thing, the long snow-belt winters help produce some awesomely restored cars. Cubic yards of snow and sleet make the perfect excuse for spending an evening in the garage, dissembling, repairing, detailing, and reassembling every component of your project car.

Dean Scotts 78 Malibu is a product of cold Minnesota winters. How do we know? Because, with car-friendly year-round California weather, we know we couldnt put our own Malibu out of commission long enough to complete a meticulous frame-off restoration. Dean began with a cherry-clean, 41,000-mile, 84-year-old-ladyowned specimen and still went through every part on the car.

Wed have just thrown together a motor and driven the wheels off the thing. But we agree that the finished product was well worth the downtime. Dean finished the car just in time for the Car Craft 2001 Summer Nationals, so the car was garage-fresh when we photographed it. It has an H.O.T.-cammed 385hp Fast Burn small-block under the hood, and we bet itll see ample road time. That is, when the weather cooperates.

How does Dean endure the winter months of car deprivation? Hes acquired another Malibu projectthis one will pack a 502. That should keep him busy through next winter, but when the first glimpse of green pokes through the thawed ground, you can bet the Spring Green Malibu will be back on the prowl.